Teach Love Inspire: CTMH August 2022 Stamp of the Month

As an Educator, I absolutely fell in love with the August Stamp of the Month, "Teach Love Inspire", and the images and sentiments it includes. Of course, I could not resist using primary colors for my first design. They make me happy. 

I colored in the images using our Tri-Blend Markers and paper-pieced the utensils holder using a paper pattern from the Mix-Ins. 

A fun-fold card, that was not challenging to create, I love how it turned out. I am going to make more happy for some work colleagues as we report to work next week for the next school year. ACK!

Remember, you can get this stamp set, valued at $18.95, for $5 or FREE (if you're a VIP) with a qualifying order! It's such a great offer and includes images and sentiments that do not have to be used for a Teacher. 

For educators and students across the world, I wish you all a fantastic and safe school year! 

May-June New Product Showcase: Coffee Helps! ☕

On May 1st, we unveiled the May-June Idea Book which contains fabulous new products and inspiring artwork for you to use on your papercrafting projects. You can get a hard copy of it FREE with an order of any size placed on my website, or you can view it digitally by following this link. You will love all that is contained inside so what are you waiting for? 

 

Today's good mood...brought to you by coffee! Can anyone relate? 🙋‍♀️

I had a great time making this fun, simple, and happy card with the "Coffee Helps" stamp set, the flowered Zip Strip and patterned paper from the May-June Mix-Ins, and a splash of Capri cardstock. I am pleased with how it came together and hope you like it as well!

These are the paper designs from the Mix-Ins. You can click on the image to enlarge, or view them in greater detail on my website.

I did include some paper-piecing on the coffee and mugs. To create the coffee, I stamped the image on Kraft Paper, fussy-cut it, and outlined the foam images using the White Gel Pen. I had to make it look somewhat real. I stamped both cups on White Daisy cardstock and also paper-pieced the fun Flamingo paper design.

It was kept very simple with some Black Dots added as accents.

Thanks for stopping by and consider leaving a comment below, or your questions. I love hearing from my readers! Now...where's my coffee?! ☕

"Splatter It" Heart to Heart Challenge

This week's Heart to Heart Challenge is called "Splatter It". Incorporating at least one Close To My Heart product, I invite you to join this Challenge and connect with us on the Heart to Heart Blog. You can interpret the theme as you choose and I can't wait to see what you have to share. 

For my splatters, I used some plastic/acetate and simply dabbed it into the respective Distress Oxide ink colors: Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, and Peacock Feathers. It is a very organic technique that will not look the same every time. 

The sentiment is from the May Stamp of the Month, "You Can Do Anything".  

A butterfly and some Clear Sparkles were perfect additions to this simple card. I did add some accents, to the butterfly, using a White Gel Pen.

Create something and then link up to the Challenge on the Heart 2 Heart Blog.

Make it a great week!

"Flora or Fauna" - Heart 2 Heart Challenge

Welcome to this week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge with the theme of "Flora or Fauna". You are invited to create papercrafted artwork based around the theme. Make sure to incorporate at least one Close To My Heart product in your creation!

I enjoyed creating this slimline card created with an exclusive stamp set that you may have not otherwise seen. By simply adding in some patterned paper from the March-April Mix-in and In Full Bloom paper packets, I felt there was not a need to do much more. 

Black Dots, Silver Shimmer Trim, and Black cardstock were the finishing touches to this card. I hope you like it! 

Create something aligned with the theme and link up to us at Heart 2 Heart! We look forward to seeing your creation!

Anything Goes: CTMH-Style Heart 2 Heart Challenge

Welcome to the first Heart 2 Heart Challenge for April! With this week's theme of "Anything Goes: CTMH-Style", the doors of creativity are wide open in that the only requirement is you incorporate Close To My Heart products in your design. Dig out your CTMH products and start creating! Then, share your artwork link on the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Blog, as you showcase your creativity with the rest of us. I can't wait to see what you share! 

I used the beautiful "In Full Bloom" paper packet as the background for this simple card. By simply adding some Avocado and Mint cardstock, I was able to 3-D the butterfly and sentiment on this card.

I did add in a little bit of sponging on the White Daisy focal point and colored in the butterfly with our Tri-Blend Markers. I couldn't resist adding the Onyx Black Liquid Pearls on the butterfly.

Be sure to join our Challenge! I can't wait to see what you create! 

"Striped Borders" Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to this month's Technique Blog Hop where we are featuring artwork where "Striped Borders" are incorporated into the creation, while using Close To My Heart products! 

If you are coming from Haley's Blog, you are on the right track! You can find a complete list of participants at the bottom of this post. 

I decided to use the "Happiness Lives Here - Cardmaking" stamp set and Thin Cuts to create a layered cake.

By using the different "border" stamp sets, I simply created a stamped strip of paper that was half an inch smaller than the previous. I do love the resulting look and how simple it was to put this birthday card together. 

The candles are from the Sticker Sheet, from "Party Time". They are what guided the color scheme of the resulting card. I hope you like it!

Thank you very much for stopping by. Head on over to Brandi's Blog, to see what she has created to share with you. We always appreciate hearing from those of you who are willing to leave a comment. 

Happy hoppin'!

Participants:

1. Melissa Robinson *YOU ARE HERE*

2. Brandi Robinson

3. Cat Nowak

4. Wendy Kessler

5. Michelle Loncar

6. Katy Taylor

7. Darlys Recker

8. Lauren Moore

9. Alyson Mayo

10. Michelle Johns

11. Haley Dyer

"Blissful Brackets" CTMH Technique Challenge

 

Welcome to our Technique Blog Hop where we show you some fun ways to use brackets, while incorporating Close To My Heart products. Our Hop is called, "Blissful Brackets".

If you are coming from Michelle's Blog, you are on the right track. You can find a complete list of participants at the bottom of this post, if you were to get lost along the way. 

I enjoyed creating this celebratory card while incorporating various products and simple techniques that kept the focus on the occasion. 

The "Par-tay" stamp set I used has these fun images that I've enjoyed using on a variety of birthday cards. They are great for using your favorite coloring medium. I chose our Tri-blend Markers.

The beautiful script sentiment is from this "Sentiments by Melissa Esplin" stamp set. I used Silver Embossing Powder on it, which is striking on the Sapphire cardstock.

So as to where the bracket theme ties in, CTMH has some top-quality Stitched Thin Cuts (aka dies) in this Brackets Bundle. The one I selected provides a great background for the greeting. 

And last, but not least, that striped Silver Foil paper - that cannot be truly appreciated from the photos - is from the Silver Foil Patterns Paper Packet. It is absolutely beautiful and comes in a variety of patterns, as shown above.

Here is a close-up of the details. 

I appreciate you stopping by. Consider leaving a comment before you head to Danielle's Blog to see what she has to share with you. Be sure you make your away around the entire Hop. You're sure to be inspired. Happy hoppin'!

List of Participants:

1. Melissa Robinson *YOU ARE HERE*

2. Danielle Wagner

3. Wendy Kessler

4. Haley Dyer

5. Alyson Mayo

6. Darlys Recker

7. Brandi Robinson

8. Tamara Sandwisch

9. Lauren Moore

10. Cat Nowak

11. Michelle Loncar

"Gifts From the Heart" - Heart 2 Heart Challenge

Welcome to our final challenge of 2020! Today we release the theme, "Gifts From the Heart". Use at least one Close To My Heart product and then connect with us at Heart 2 Heart. Link up and share your artwork, as we love to see what everyone creates while interpreting the theme. 

I love the Craft Jars from Close To My Heart and decided to make this fun gift item, perfect for the holidays. (I didn't have green and red M&Ms so just pretend they are in there. LOL)

With a fun little tag, and the Small Bow Thin Cuts, it's the perfect little treat for anyone this holiday season.

You can get a set of 3 Craft Jars for just $4.95; what a deal! Fill them with chocolate OR any other loose embellishment or craft item that it will hold. They measure 2 3/4" in diameter and are approximately 1 1/4" tall.

Thanks for joining us in the Heart 2 Heart Challenges each month! We look forward to you doing so in 2021! 

"Party Time" Heart 2 Heart Challenge

It's "Party Time" at Heart 2 Heart where you can create artwork aligned with the theme and then link up to us on the Heart 2 Heart Blog. We love to see what you create! Be sure to incorporate at least one product from Close To My Heart, as that's a requirement.

I totally love the simplicity of this card design, as shared by a friend. Only a few supplies were needed and it's perfect for the occasion, don't you think?! 

I used the Party Time Paper Packet, and this fabulous patterned paper, for the background. I had it measure just slightly smaller than the card base. 

Then, using the Small Bow Thin Cuts (aka Dies), I created the beautiful bow. The bow pieces come in two parts and assemble quickly and easilyy to form what you see above. I added a 3/8" strip of coordinating cardstock to form the "ribbon" parts. It came together in a matter of a few minutes! 

Participate in our artwork challenges at Heart 2 Heart! We'd love to have you!

"Happiness Never Grows Old" CTMH December Stamp of the Month

Welcome to the Stamp of the Month Blog Hop where we are showcasing the one for December called, "Happiness Never Grows Old".

The beautiful stamp set contains these 11 images shown in the image above. From the rose clusters, and encouraging sentiments, you can get this stamp set for FREE (as a VIP Member) or for $5, with a qualifying $50 purchase. You can view all details about the Stamp of the Month Program here. (It retails for $18.95.)

If you are coming from Cat's Blog, you are on the right track. You can find a complete list of participants by clicking here. 

To create this card, I random-stamped some of the smaller images on Blue Belle cardstock, on the light side, with the same color ink. The striped paper on the far left is from the Mix-ins paper pack and I couldn't resist adding the gorgeous Sapphire Glitter Paper. 

For the rose image, I embossed it on the darker side of Sapphire cardstock, with Gold Embossing Powder. I used the Rare Minerals Metallic Markers to color in the images. It is a simple technique that creates such beauty. Do you agree?

I wanted Sapphire-like gems and used the True Blue Shades Tri-Blend Marker to color Silver Glitter Gems. I actually added two layers on it to get the darker shade of blue. I love this sentiment that I chose to include on this card and hope you do too!

I really appreciate you stopping by my blog and hope you enjoyed this card! Now, head on over to Wendy's Blog, to see what she has created to share with you. 

Happy hoppin'! 

July/August NEW PRODUCT Blog Hop!

Welcome to this Blog Hop where we are showcasing FABULOUS NEW PRODUCTS that were released on July 1st in our Idea Book! If this catalog cover doesn't scream FUN at you, I don't know what will! 

You can view a digital version of the Idea Book by clicking here OR get it FREE with  your order! 

If you are coming from Michelle's Blog, you are on the right track. You can find a complete list of participants by clicking here. 

A little random-stamping was a great addition to this themed card. I absolutely LOVE the images and sentiments included in this awesome stamp set! 

Fern ink was used to stamp the leaves on Fern cardstock (the light side) and colored pencils were the medium of choice. The patterned paper is from the Mix-Ins paper pack. 

When I first saw this A Koal-aty Day stamp set (and Thin Cuts), I knew they were a must-have. I can't wait to create more with these awesome images. (You can also purchase the stamp set without the Thin Cuts.)

Head on over to Alyson's Blog to see what she has to share with you! I appreciate you stopping by and always enjoy when people leave comments. 

Have an awesome weekend!